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Topic: Single Deeps Wintering in Florida... (Read 5575 times)

You mentioned Walt’s manuscript of the evils of a double deep in the OP. It’s my opinion there are simpler ways to solve the problems he complains about, than the manipulations he suggests. It sounds like you have a plan to use your existing equipment; that is good. But for others trying to solve the ‘evils of a double deep’, it would be worth keeping in mind this problem has been solved a LONG time ago.

Finski are you saying your friend learned how to keep bees from us Americans? Hey, maybe there is hope for us after all X:X X:X X:X

that friend was a real beekeeping renewer in Finland 50 years ago. He had worked in Canada as young guy and learned English language there. He brought many profound ideas from America to Finland. He used Canadian Caucasian bees in hives.

He told me what is difference with American and German beekeeping. In German they research research what colors bee see. In America they research how to get more honey.

But this Forum, I do not know these methods

- catch and release- do nothing in front of problems (englishmen shake bees if they do not know or they burn hives)- feed 60 kg honey to bees during winter , some record competition?

As Walt said in the end of his Beesource article, the solution is simple; use jumbo hives. Dadant and Brother Adam figured this out 100 years ago. Modern beeks just like to make life difficult for some reason :?

Why fool with picking up a deep and putting a shallow under it for winter pollen stores? Why fool with trying to keep brood out of shallow supers in the winter/spring? Why fool with swapping boxes in the spring? Why sort through dozens of brood frames in the spring looking for queen cells? Why do beeks like to make their lives more difficult?

The solution is simple: use jumbo frames. I overwinter in a SINGLE jumbo box in Michigan. No honey boxes on top, no pollen boxes on bottom, no candy boards, no swapping, no nothing; just one box and the bees are boiling out by spring. The large brood frames make a lot of bees. Of coarse my hives are also insulated polystyrene hives which also makes a big difference in wintering success IMO.

Blue you had an awfull lot of swarms this spring. Did the swarms come out of those jumbo hives?